The prostate gives few clues until it starts making urination uncomfortable. This guide covers which signs are worth checking, what each test measures and when it makes sense to ask for a urology assessment.
Signs that should not be ignored
- A weak or interrupted stream, or one that takes a while to start
- Getting up twice or more at night to urinate
- The feeling of not emptying the bladder completely
- Sudden urgency, with little margin to reach the bathroom
- Burning when urinating or pain in the lower abdomen
- Blood in the urine or semen: this is looked at right away
Many of these symptoms come from benign enlargement of the prostate, common after 50. But the symptom alone does not tell the causes apart: the assessment does.
What each test measures
| Test | What it measures |
|---|---|
| PSA blood test | A protein the prostate produces. It rises with benign growth, with inflammation and also with cancer |
| Digital rectal exam | Size, firmness and edges of the gland |
| Urine test | Infection, blood or inflammation |
| Hormone panel | Levels that explain fatigue, muscle loss or low libido |
A high PSA is not a diagnosis. It is one data point to read alongside your age, the exam and your previous values, which is why keeping earlier results matters.
At what age to get checked
The USPSTF places the PSA decision between ages 55 and 69, and recommends discussing its benefits and drawbacks first, because overdetection has a cost too. After 70 it is not recommended as routine screening. With a family history of prostate cancer or with symptoms, that conversation happens earlier.
When urology gets involved
The initial assessment — visit, PSA, urine test and exam — happens at a general care clinic. A urology referral follows when the PSA is high or rising against earlier checks, when the exam finds something irregular, when there is blood in the urine with no clear cause, or when symptoms do not improve with initial treatment.
How to prepare
- PSA can be skewed by recent ejaculation, cycling or an infection: waiting a few days is better
- For the hormone panel, a morning sample is more representative
- Bring your list of medication, supplements included
- If you have had a PSA before, bring the result so it can be compared
Where to do it in Houston
At Clínica Hispana Nueva Salud Little York, at 10769 Eastex Fwy Ste A, on the Eastex Freeway, walk-ins are seen Monday through Sunday from 9 AM to 9 PM and no insurance is needed. The clinic's medical team performs the men's health evaluation with PSA, urine testing and hormone panel, explains the results and hands you the report to take to urology if needed.
Promotions include the complete men's exam for $89 and the hormone panel for $200.
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